6/06/2008

Washington D.C., USAImage: Tree that fell on cars during "Round One" of severe weather in Dupont Circle.Story: Once the numbers are finalized, June 4, 2008 may go down in the record books as ONE OF THE MORE ACTIVE SEVERE WEATHER DAYS IN RECENT HISTORY in the D.C. region. Following a widespread and destructive squall line in the mid-afternoon, several mwell into the night.

The National Weather Service in Sterling issued ore rounds of severe weather afflicted the region, with storminess lasting an astounding 70 severe thunderstorm, marine, and tornado warnings in the Baltimore/Washington region. The storms were caused by several ripples of enhanced energy moving along a near-stationary frontal boundary draped north of the region. On the south side of the front, temperatures rose into the mid to upper 80s across the area, with sticky dew points nearing 70 degrees under abundant sunshine that followed very early morning rain. This moist, unstable airmass at the surface set the stage for the severe storms. Thunderstorms that originated in the upper Midwest and Ohio Valley began to re-develop in West Virginia by late morning. This thunderstorm activity was embedded in strong upper level winds from the west. Strong updrafts and downdrafts (vertical motions of air) developed which generated intense wind gusts. At least one fatality was caused by the storms when a falling tree struck a moving car. Tornadoes were being reported by storm spotters near Fredericksburg, Virginia just before 8 pm. 2008 has been a remarkable year for severe weather in the U.S. Perhaps the only bit of good news is that June 4 was such a RARE event that it's unlikely to be repeated soon. Image Above: Bow echo passes Washington at 3:24 p.m. Courtesy Weather Underground.